Amateur-built AIR COMMAND accident near Hixson, Tennessee, October 14, 1988
On October 14, 1988 at about 10:17 pm local time, a amateur-built AIR COMMAND (gyroplane), registered N169WC, was destroyed in an accident near Hixson, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1988 · about 10:17 pm local time
- Place
- Hixson, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIR COMMAND AIR COMMAN
- Registration
- N169WC · registry record · serial 1 WC
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE GYROCOPTER OSCILLATING IN THE PITCH AXIS AS IT PASSED OVERHEAD IN CRUISE FLIGHT. A 'WHITE OR SHINY' OBJECT DEPARTED THE GYROCOPTER. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROLLED RIGHT, DESCENDED AND COLLIDED WITH THE TREES AND GROUND, INVERTED. ONE PROPELLER BLADE HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS FOUND 520 FEET FROM THE CRASH SITE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE SEPARATED PROPELLER BLADE AND ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE HAD COLLIDED INFLIGHT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Flight time: 4 hours in all; 4 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 532 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAO Chattanooga TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.